Cloth opening apparatus



A. JAFFE ETAL CLOTH OPENING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1

Oct. 13, 1970 FIG. I

MEN W W 9M W United States Patent 3,533,144 CLOTH OPENING APPARATUSArnold Jaife and Gordon Gauvin, Amsterdam, N.Y., as-

signors to Fownes Brothers & Co., Incorporated, New

York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 19, 1968, Ser. No.777,028 Int. Cl. D06c 3/06 US. C]. 26-63 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE This invention is directed to apparatus for opening wet clothof varying tightness in rope form and feeding same into a tenter frameas an open flat web at a substantially constant stitch count. Aphotoelectric edge guide controls lateral oscillation of a poteye tochange the lateral position of a fabric rope passing therethrough as itis with drawn from a supply cart. The opened web is passed over a drawroll whose speed is varied in accordance with changes in web tensionwhich are detected by passing the web past a floating roll that isphotoelectrically connected to the speed controller for the draw roll.

THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to new and usefulimprovements in tenter frames for textile mills and particularly seeksto provide novel apparatus for opening wet cloth of varying tightness inrope form and feeding same as a web into a tenter frame at asubstantially constant stitch count.

One of the problems in feeding a continuous wet fabric rope to a tenterframe arises from the fact that variations in tension may occur as therope is opened into a flat web as an incident to its introduction intothe tenter frame. Another problem arises due to possible twists in thefabric rope, which if uncorrected, may result in a jamming of the feedinto the tenter frame. Still another problem arises from tensionvariations that may occur if the fabric rope is not uniformly withdrawnfrom its supply cart.

Fabric rope opening and feeding apparatus constructed in accordance withthis invention overcomes the above described problems.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide novel apparatus forwithdrawing a wet fabric rope from a supply cart, opening same into afiat web and feeding same into a tenter frame under substantiallyuniform tension.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter stated that includes an edge guide-controlled poteye that isoscillatable through a path that is transverse to a fabric rope supplycart to change the lateral position of rope withdrawal therefrom inaccordance with commands from the edge guide.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter stated in which the fabric rope is led upwardly from thepositioning poteye between a pair of scroll rolls to spread the ropeinto a flat web, then over a variable speed lead oif or draw roll andthence down past a floating roll whose position changes in response totension variations in the fabric web and which functions to cause speedchanges in the draw roll.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter stated that includes photoelectric means for sensing theposition of one edge of the fabric as it leaves the scroll rolls and forcausing a repositioning of the oscillatable poteye.

A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter stated that includes photoelectric means for sensing theposition of the floating roll and ice for causing changes of speed ofthe draw roll in response to changes in position of the floating roll.

With these and other objects, the nature of which will be apparent, theinvention will be more fully understood by reference to the drawings,the accompanying detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partly schematic front elevation of tenter frame feedingapparatus constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a right side elevation thereof; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the mounting ofthe floating roll in greater detail.

Referring to the drawings in detail it will be seen that the invention,as illustrated, is embodied in apparatus for opening a fabric rope intoa flat web and feeding the web into a tenter frame under closelycontrolled tension conditions and includes a horizontal poteye 5positioned over the center location of a fabric rope supply cart andaflixed to the lower end of a normally vertical arm 6 having its upperend pivotally attached to a frame memher as at 7 so that the poteye 5may be oscillated trans versely. Oscillation of the poteye is effectedby a double acting air cylinder 8 having one end pivotally attached to aframe member as at 9 and having its piston rod 10 pivotally attached tothe upper portion of the arm 6 as at 11. Operation of the air cylinder 8is controlled by a photoelectric edge guide for the opened fabric web aswill be hereinafter more fully described.

A pair of spaced horizontal scroll rolls 12, 12 each having the usualsets of opposite hand helical ribs 13 for spreading the fabric, arerotatably mounted a substantial distance above the poteye S and functionto effect the opening of the fabric rope into a flat web.

A relatively large diameter horizontal draw roll 14 is mounted above thescroll rolls 12 and is adapted to be driven from a variable speed driveindicated 15 through sprocket and chain connections indicated 16.

A pair of downwardly slanting spaced parallel guide rods 17, 17 havetheir rear ends rigidly affixed to a frame member as at 18 and extendforwardly to positions where their front ends lie substantially invertical alignment with the rear face of the draw roll 14. A ballbearing mounted sleeve 19, having a depending bearing block 20, isfreely mounted on each guide rod 17 and a floating roll 21 extendsbetween and is journalled in the bearing blocks 20. This manner ofmounting the floating roll 21 enables it to be readily displaced by alight force and moved along the guide rods 17 whenever an increase inweb tension occurs as will be hereinafter more fully described.

One of the bearing blocks carries a depending plate 22 which serves tointerrupt the beams from a pair of front and rear fixed spacedphotoelectric cells 23, 23 whenever the floating roll 21 becomessufliciently displaced and cause a change in the speed of the draw roll14 as will be more fully understood when the operation of the apparatusis described.

A photoelectric edge guide 24 is positioned adjacent the draw roll 14 ata location corresponding to the path of travel of one edge of the fabricand controls the oscillation of the poteye 5.

In operation, a cart 25 filled with a fabric rope A, is centered on aturntable 26 positioned beneath the poteye 5. At startup, the fabricrope is manually threaded upwardly through the poteye 5 and is thenspread out and passed up between the scroll rolls 12, 12 and thence overthe top of the draw roll 14. The opened fabric web is then brought downin front of the floating roll 21 and thence downwardly and rearwardlyinto the nip between a pair of driven press rolls 27, 27 at the entranceto the tenter frame, and is then threaded through the dryer.

The drive is then started, and with the poteye in its normal middleposition, the fabric web passing over the draw roll -14 normally wouldtrack evenly thereover with no lateral drift. However, as with anycontinuously advancing web material, some lateral drift does occur andthe photoelectric edge guide 24 becomes effective, through suitablewiring and solenoid valve (not shown), to cause operation of the aircylinder 8 to oscillate the poteye 5 in one direction or the other tocorrect the edge position of the web. Thus, if the web is drifting tothe right as viewed in FIG. 1, the poteye will be moved to the left andvice versa.

Under balanced operating conditions the peripheral speed of the drawroll 14 equals the nip speed of the press rolls 27 with the fabric webunder uniform tension, and under these conditions the floating roll 21remains at an intermediate position on the guide rods 17 and simplyserves as an idler guide roll.

In this position the plate 22 interrupts the beam from the frontphotoelectric cell 23, but not that of the rear photoelectric cell. Ifthe tension of the fabric increases. the floating roll 21 is displacedrearwardly along the guide rods 17, 17 and the plate 22 interrupts thebeams from both of the photoeletcric cells 23 to cause an increase inspeed of the draw roll 14 and thus reduce tension of the web. After thiscorrection to the web speed (and tension) the floating roll 14 willreturn to its intermediate position with the beam from the rearphotoelectric cell 23 uninterrupted by the plate 22 and the draw roll 14resumes its normal speed. On the other hand, if the tension of thefabric decreases suificiently, the floating roll 21 moves forwardlyenough so that the plate 22 will clear the beams from both photoelectriccells 23 and thus cause a decrease in the speed of the draw roll 14 andthus increase tension of the web. After this correction to the web speed(and tension) the floating roll 14 will return to its intermediateposition with only the beam from the front photoelectric cell 23interrupted by the plate 22 and the draw roll 14 resumes its normalspeed.

It should be noted that the plate 22 is of substantial width, e.g. morethan that merely necessary to interrupt the beams of the cells 23 whenthe floating roll 21 becomes displaced rearwardly, in order to provide atime delay between speed changes of the draw roll 14 so that all of theweb that is under increased tension ahead of the floating roll 21 willhave time for its tension to be relaxed before it enters the nip betweenthe press rolls 27. In his manner a remarkably uniform control over thestitch count of the fabric web entering the tenter may be maintained.

Any twists that may be present in the fabric rope may be readily removedsimply by rotating the turntable 26 in the proper direction as thetwisted portion approaches the poteye 5. It will also be understood thatsince this is a continuous operation, the trailing end of the fabricrope in a supply cart being unloaded will, as usual, be chainstitch-sewn to the leading end of the fabric rope in each succeedingsupply cart until the end of the entire run has been reached.

It will be understood further that since the various drives,photoelectric cells and wiring therefor, together with the piping andsolenoid valves for the air cylinder, are all considered to be standard,it is unnecessary to either illustrate or describe same in detail andthat no claim is made to any such elements per se.

It is of course to be understood that variations in arrangements andproportions of parts may be made within the scope of the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for opening cloth of varying tightness in rope form andfeeding same as a flat web to a tenter frame, means for continuouslywithdrawing a fabric rope from a supply thereof, means interposedbetween said withdrawing means and said supply for spreading the fabricof said rope into a substantially flat open Web, means for detecting anychange of the position of one edge of said opened fabric web after allsaid fabric web leaves said spreading means, means responsive to saidedge position detecting means for changing the path of travel of saidfabric rope as it is withdrawn from said supply, and means for receivingsaid web and feeding same toward said tenter frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally including means for varying thespeed of operation of said with drawing means and means associated withsaid fabric web and interposed between said withdrawing means and saidreceiving and feeding means for causing increases or decreases in thespeed of said withdrawing means in accordance with changes in thetension of said fabric web.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said withdrawing means is avariable speed draw roll; said spreading means comprises at least onescroll roll; and said web receiving and feeding means comprises a pairof press rolls.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said edge position detecting meansincludes a fixed position photoelectric cell located at the mean path oftravel of said fabric edge and in which said edge position responsivemeans includes a laterally displaceable guide through which said fabricrope passes and means responsive to the operative condition of saidphotoelectric cell for causing said guide to be laterally displaced ineither of two available directions.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said means for varying the speed ofoperation of said draw roll includes a floating roll maintained incontact with said fabric web and displaceable from its normal positionas the consequence of changes in tension of said web and a fixedposition photoelectric cell positioned adjacent one end of said floatingroll whereby either to detect a change of position of said floating rollin one direction and cause said draw roll to be speeded up or to detecta change of position of said floating roll in the other direction andcause said draw roll to be slowed down.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said means for varying the speed ofoperation of said draw roll additionally include means for effecting atime delay in the slowing down of said draw roll after it has beenspeeded up as the result of increased tension in said fabric web wherebyto permit all of the over-tensioned web portion to become relaxed priorto entering said press rolls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,764 11/ 1850 Butcher 2654430,749 6/ 1890 Palmer 2652 2,117,603 5/1938 Dungler. 2,188,665 1/ 1940Sperry 2666 2,482,270 9/ 1949 Grundy.

FOREIGN PATENTS 282,446 3/1915 Germany.

25,637 19 10 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

